BERTHOUD — If John and Whitney Way had any lingering doubts about deciding to open a small craft brewery, those anxieties were put to rest as soon as City Star Brewing opened for business last May.

"Our grand opening was crazy," John said. "We were pouring beer nonstop — so fast that we weren't even shutting off the faucets."

"Berthoud was thirsty," Whitney added.

They sold at least 1,000 pints of beer that first weekend, she said, and invested the proceeds in another fermenter to complement the brewery's 3.5-barrel brew system.

They added their first wholesale tap account several months later and began self-distributing beer to local bars and restaurants. They're up to about 60 tap accounts along the Front Range that at least occasionally carry City Star beer.

In addition to the consistent crowds from Berthoud, Loveland and Longmont that come in during the week, that exposure also helps draw in folks from all over on the weekends, Whitney said, many of whom have tried City Star's beer elsewhere and want to see where it's made.

Winning two medals at last year's Great American Beer Festival — including a bronze medal for Mule Kick, an American Strong Ale, and a gold medal for Bandit Brown, an English-style brown ale — has also helped boost City Star's notoriety. Bandit Brown also won gold at last year's U.S. Open Beer Championship and the Denver International Beer Competition.

"We used to brew that beer once every other month, and now we brew it every week," John said.

Lead brewer Ryan Joy prepares to add ingredients to a batch of beer at City Star Brewing. (Steve Stoner / For the Camera)

They recently ordered three additional 15-barrel fermentation tanks to help them meet the growing demand, and the brewery currently employs eight people, including full-time lead brewer Ryan Joy.

On the day I visited, Barnhouse Beast, a saison made exclusively for the Beast + Bottle restaurant in Denver, made its taproom debut. Dead or Alive, a Double IPA bursting with hop character and personality, was also on tap, as was Widow Maker, a complex Imperial Stout. In addition to numerous specialty and seasonal releases, City Star offers six mainstay beers that range from the light and approachable Cowboy's Golden Ale, to hoppy red ale Red Necktar, to Revolver IPA and Night Watchman, a smooth, easy-drinking American-style stout.

"Our goal from the get-go was to make a wide range of approachable beers," Whitney said. "Anybody can come in and find a beer that they like."

John is a longtime homebrewer whose hobby escalated from making extract brews to "going to garage sales and scouring Craigslist to find brewing equipment that was bigger and better than what I already had," he said.

The couple hosted a Halloween party a few years back, for which John brewed about 30 gallons of beer. The positive response prompted him to consider putting into action his dream of opening a brewery.

He worked in Oskar Blues' production department for about a year, where he learned some of the finer points of running and operating a production brewery. When a century-old building that sits in a prime storefront location on Berthoud's Main Street became available, the couple jumped at the opportunity.

"That gave us the push we needed," John said. "The timing was right, there weren't any other breweries here and so we said, 'Let's do it.' "

John and Whitney renovated the entire building, which originally housed the City Star Barn, the town's livery stable. They did as much of the building and remodeling as they could themselves, including making most of the furniture and tap handles. John also constructed a large, sculptural chandelier made from barrel staves that serves as a focal point in the taproom.

They're also involved in the local community. Whitney is an ambassador with the Chamber of Commerce and helps out with town events, as well as the nonprofit group Berthoud CARES.

The brewery hosts a fundraising event at least once a month, and they're helping to sponsor and organize the Front Range Rally craft beer and food festival set for May 31 in Loveland to benefit the Food Bank for Larimer County.

In June, City Star will host its second Hops and Harley event to benefit the National Mill Dog Rescue in Colorado Springs. Whitney's parents' dog, Harley, is a national spokes dog against puppy mills and has more than 40,000 Facebook fans.

The brewery is gearing up to celebrate the closing weekend of Colorado Craft Beer Week this weekend by participating in the Hops & Handrails event from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont.

They're also looking forward to celebrating the brewery's first anniversary in May, as well as their first wedding anniversary later this summer.

"We joke that we opened a brewery instead of getting married," John said.

"It was a good test of our relationship before we got married," Whitney added. "We make a pretty good team."

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